Chapter 3
NOAH
With a groan, I rub my temples.
Fisher, my best friend and part of my coaching team, enters the room, his shoulders slumped.
I leave for the Australian Open at the end of the month, and I’ve yet to find suitable care for Maddie while we’re on the road.
I need an extra set of hands and eyes when it comes to her.
My training schedule is rigorous, and that’s before the tournaments begin.
Once that happens, I’m practically an absentee parent.
“What did you think of her?”
I lower my hands and glare at Fisher, hoping he can read the are you fucking joking right now? on my face.
“She was too busy flirting with you to take any bit of this seriously.”
He grins from ear to ear, eyes crinkling at the corners.
We played tennis together as kids and teens.
We were rivals and hated each other most of the time, yet here we are.
After an injury caused an abrupt end to his career when he was twenty, I asked him to join my coaching team.
Insight from the man who was my biggest opponent for years is invaluable.
Thankfully, he agreed, and we’ve been best friends ever since.
“Exactly.” He drops down onto the couch beside me. “She was great.”
I glower at the guy. He looks younger than twenty-seven, while I probably look older. The death of my wife a year ago did a number on me. Most days I feel like it aged me half a century.
Annie was my high school sweetheart.
When she got pregnant our senior year, we didn’t hesitate.
We tied the knot and never looked back. We obviously hadn’t planned on becoming parents so young but we embraced it.
When Maddie was born, our world only became more perfect.
My tennis career took off, and Annie and Maddie traveled with me.
Though we had little downtime, we always made the most of it.
The cancer diagnosis was shocking.
Annie had been fine. We thought it was nothing.
Nothing turned out to be terminal.
She was given six months to live. She made it nine. She fought so hard, not wanting to leave us. By the end, she was miserable, in constant pain. Though I wasn’t sure it was the truth, I assured her we’d be okay. She could go. I couldn’t stand to see her suffer.
It was the worst kind of torture, watching the person I loved most wither away.
After she was gone, I needed time. For a while I thought my passion for the sport had died with her.
But the itch returned, and I tossed my hat back into the ring.
After an almost two-year hiatus—the nine months she was sick and the year after her passing—my rank has dropped, which means I’ll have to climb way back up.
For Annie.
Because of Annie.
For the past few months, I’ve played tournaments in order to elevate my ranking before the tennis season starts, lucky to snag a few late entry spots.
It didn’t take long to realize that if I want to fight back to where I was before Annie got sick, then I need help.
It’s been a major challenge, parenting Maddie, making sure her schoolwork is done, and getting back into the swing of things.
“Hey.” Fisher’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “We’ll find someone, buddy. We still have another one to interview today.”
I nod, though my expectations are low.
We’ve already met with six applicants. I highly doubt the seventh will be any better.
Besides, seven is an odd number, and I’m superstitious when it comes to those.
“If this one doesn’t work out, then the job is yours.”
He shakes with laugher. “You couldn’t afford me, sweetheart.” He blows a sarcastic kiss in my direction.
At the sound of the doorbell, he bolts up and heads for the door. “That’s her.”
I drop my head back and close my eyes. Sitting through yet another interview is pointless. After six not-so-great applicants, I can’t imagine unlucky number seven will be Mary Freaking Poppins.
Antsy, ready to get on with my day, I unlock my phone and check my social media apps.
A few posts down, one catches my eye.
Noah Baker—comeback or send-off?
There’s a poll beneath it that allows people to vote about whether they think I’ll come back for good or whether this will be my final year.
I roll my eyes. The speculation is already out of control.
A throat clears, startling me. When I look up, Fisher is glaring at me from the arched entry into the dining room where we’ve been conducting these interviews.
I turn my phone over and plaster on a smile.
With a roll of his eyes, he steps aside.
The moment the woman he escorted in comes into view, all the blood drains from my body. I want to think my heart rate kicks up a notch—or twelve—because it’s trying to force blood to my brain, but it’s simply because the woman in front of me is maybe the most stunning creature on the planet.
She’s young, in her early twenties by my guess, with curly dark hair that falls to her clavicle.
Without my permission, my focus drops to a pair of breasts I should not be noticing.
Fuck, they’re nice. More than nice, really, in the simple long-sleeve shirt she wears.
The top is modest, not even close to scandalous, but even so, I can’t stop myself from checking her out.
Her skin is a soft, warm brown, and her eyes, eyes that are taking me in similarly, are dark.
She looks away before I do, and for some stupid reason, that stings.
Fisher clears his throat. “Noah?”
Fuck. Right. I’m supposed to talk to her.
“Hello.” I stand and extend my hand. “I’m Noah Baker.”
She slips her soft palm against mine, and a zap of electricity darts up my arm. Shit. Yeah, this woman is real. “Sabrina Howard.”
“Take a seat,” Fisher tells her, shooting me a look that clearly says what the fuck is wrong with you?
My heart hasn’t raced like this in the presence of a woman since Annie. I had convinced myself I’d never feel that kind of attraction again. I was okay with that. She’s the love of my life. I lost her too soon, but at least I had her for a little while.
Now, Sabrina Howard has me questioning things.
For a long moment, I tap my pen against the table and take her in, this time with a more critical eye.
She looks young, too young to be in charge of my daughter.
Not as young as you were when you had her, my conscience taunts. And the hospital certainly let your immature ass walk out the doors with a newborn.
Fisher slips into the seat beside me. “Your résumé says you have a degree in elementary education, but I don’t see any teaching positions listed under your previous jobs.”
I stifle a snicker.
She cocks her head to the side, assessing me with narrowed eyes.
Fisher taps his finger against her résumé, garnering my attention. For the first time, I give the document a cursory look.
Twenty-two.
“I only recently earned my degree, and the field is very competitive.” She takes a breath, darts a look between the two of us, then snaps her mouth shut, as if she’s decided against saying more.
“How are you with kids?” he asks, pen scratching against the legal pad in front of him.
Fisher has taken notes on every candidate. Me? I’ve done nothing but sit here.
I need to put more of an effort into the search. I leave for Australia in a matter of weeks, and Maddie has to come with me. If I thought finding a suitable candidate in Houston was hard, filling the position while on the road will be next to impossible.
But this is my little girl.
Fisher can kiss my ass. Maddie is my world. I won’t settle for anything less than the perfect fit.
“In general, I’m great with them, but kids are all different.
Working one on one with your daughter would give me the opportunity to learn more about her as an individual and tailor my care to what best suits her.
It would also give me insight into what kind of support she needs education-wise.
I assume that would be a bonus for you, considering, from what I understand, a background in education isn’t required.
” She arches a brow, her shoulders pulled back.
I’m impressed by how confidently she addresses me since I’ve barely acknowledged her existence.
Other than staring at her tits like a horny teenager.
Nodding, I tap my fingers on the table. My heart is beginning to return to its normal rate. Now that it is, I’m assessing her, wondering what’s so special about her. Sure, she’s beautiful, but beautiful women are a dime a dozen. Her beauty doesn’t explain why my heart has lost control of itself.
“No, it isn’t required,” Fisher says, since, once again, I’m silent. He kicks me under the table.
Brow furrowed, I continue staring at Sabrina.
If she’s uncomfortable, she doesn’t show it.
Fisher asks her another dozen questions. I only half listen.
With a sigh, she eventually turns her dark eyes my way. “Since, if I’m hired, I would be caring for your daughter, you must have some questions for me.”
A bolt of anger crashes through me.
Who is she to call me out like that?
“Maybe I’m shy,” I retort, teeth gritted.
She arches a brow. “A shy person wouldn’t stare at me like they’re considering whether to rip my clothes off or set me on fire. But sure, if you want to call it shy, we’ll go with that.”
Fisher barks out a laugh so loud it echoes off the walls. I lift my leg and stomp on his foot.
Smirking, Sabrina crosses her arms over her chest.
“I don’t have any questions. I know everything I need to.”
With a nod, she stands and extends her hand. “It was nice to meet you, Noah.”
Annoyance flares like a burst of heat in my chest. I don’t know what it is about her that’s getting under my skin.
“Likewise.”
To Fisher she says, “If you have any follow-up questions, feel free to reach out to me.”
A crashing sound in the kitchen startles us all.
“Maddie.” I’m on my feet and running in the space of a heartbeat.